Sponsored

Foodventures at the Wilton Food Blogger Workshop

June 29, 2011June 21, 2016 The Culinary Chronicles13 Comments

A few weeks ago I was flown out to Chicago to attend the Wilton Food Blogger Workshop <insert high-pitched squeals of joy here>. It truly was an honor to join 26 amazing food bloggers from across the country for a trip filled with all things Wilton!

Early Saturday morning we were whisked away to the Wilton Headquarters. And although I hadn’t met any of the other bloggers prior to the trip, I instantly knew I was with my kind of peeps the moment we walked through Wilton’s front doors as everyone began feverishly snapping away photos. It’s wonderful to be around people who get me 🙂

Here are a few demo cakes that they had on display

We spent the next several hours practicing our piping skills, experimenting with fondant, touring the site, and learning about the hottest Wilton trends.

Sandy Folsom, Director of the Wilton School, was our main instructor for the day.

Some of my buttercream rosettes, stars, and basket weave.

And of course, what better way to demonstrate our newly acquired skills than a cake-decorating competition! We were broken into teams and given about an hour to decorate a two-tier cake. My fabulous teammates included Julie Deily of The Little Kitchen and Vanessa Druckman of Chef Druck Musings.

Some of our competition supplies.

You would think that an hour would be plenty of time to whip out a nicely decorated cake but trust me, it’s much harder than it sounds! So much talent with so little time! But we were quite happy with our final product. 🙂

Our bright and colorful “spring” themed cake.

As I had mentioned, we did a quick tour of the facilities that included the prep rooms, photo studios, and testing kitchens.

One wall in their prop room…….needless to say, I need to get me a prop room stocked like this 🙂

Snapshot of a photo set up. And yes, those are holiday items being photographed in June!

We were then zipped away to a quick stop at the Wilton School and the Wilton Enterprises. The talented Colette Peters happened to be teaching a Masters Course when we arrived at the school. I was a bit giddy when we saw her—so much to the point that the pic I snapped of her was so blurry that I’d rather not post it.

We did a little sampling of goodies in the test kitchens.

And what could top a day filled with cake decorating, photography, eating, and meeting talented food writers? Just one thing really……SHOPPING!!!

This year marked the 25^th anniversary for the Wilton Tent Sale—-and was it ah-may-zing! A ginormous white tent was jammed packed with over 3,000 items up to 75% off! Every item a baker could dream of……and even some housewares and scrapbooking supplies, too! I picked up so much loot that I had to ask the hotel for an empty box to check on the plane. I obviously didn’t prepare well enough 🙂

Baking tools, GALORE!

My loot shamefully spread all over my hotel bed

Our day ended with a celebration Awards Dinner where we all got to enjoy delicious food, recount on a wonderful trip, and were given awards from the cake decorating competition!

Our awards for the evening.

Our competition cakes

Our team took home the award for “Best Use of Color”—and we sure did use tons of it!

Yours Truly, Julie Deily of The Little Kitchen and Vanessa Druckman of Chef Druck Musings (photo courtesy of Wilton)

My cake statuette is currently standing proud in my kitchen

It truly was an AMAZING, fun-filled, and jam-packed trip! In addition to gaining more exposure to Wilton and their long-standing contributions to the baking world, I am honored to have been in such wonderful company with the talented food bloggers in attendance. I look forward to our continued friendships!

And after a good amount of persuasion and encouragement from these talented ladies, I FINALLY took the plunge. Yep, it’s true—we’re now on Twitter!

And if you haven’t done so already, be sure to “LIKE” us on Facebook!

I’d like to extend a huge hug of gratitude to Wilton for such a memorable experience. THANK YOU for your extreme generosity and for taking such good care of us!

Disclosure: Although I received Wilton products and the trip to the Wilton Food Blogger Workshop, all opinions and views are my own.

Fried “Buffalo” Calamari

May 20, 2011June 21, 2016 The Culinary Chronicles26 Comments

The other day I came home to a package that had a big bottle of KC Masterpiece® Buffalo Marinade in it—-courtesy of the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program.

I immediately thought of whipping up a batch of Buffalo Wings….because who doesn’t love a good Buffalo Wing? But at second thought, I decided to try something different and take a spin off of another great pub food—Fried Calamari!

I attempted to mimic the Buffalo Wing taste by marinating the calamari in buttermilk and KC Masterpiece® Buffalo Marinade. After a quick toss in flour and a few minutes of deep frying, I had a plate full of crispy–yet tender, Fried Calamari.

I’m not sure I fully tasted the flavors of the marinade in the Calamari by itself. But after a little squeeze of lemon and quick dunk into the Buffalo Marinade, the flavors were definitely more prominent.

But let’s be honest, anything fried and then dipped in hot sauce is pretty delicious in my book 🙂

Happy Friday, Friends!

____________________________________________________

Fried “Buffalo” Calamari
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Pound Calamari, cleaned and cut into 1 inch rings—tentacles left whole
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
¾ Cup KC Masterpiece® Buffalo Marinade, or other hot sauce marinade
¼ Cup Buttermilk
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt, plus more to season after the calamari is fried
½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
Vegetable Oil, for deep frying
Serve with Celery and Carrot Sticks, additional KC Masterpiece® Buffalo Marinade, Blue Cheese Dressing, and Lemon Wedges

In a large bowl, mix the marinade and buttermilk together. Add the cleaned calamari—ensuring it’s well covered in the liquid. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes.

Place a large colander in the sink and pour the calamari with buttermilk mixture into it. Gently shake the colander to drain off the marinade. Use paper towels to blot off excess liquids.

In a large pot (or deep fryer), preheat oil to 375 degrees.

In a large zip lock bag, add the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the calamari zip the bag closed. Shake well to evenly coat the calamari. Pour the contents of the bag into a large sifter (or you can do this in batches) and sift the calamari to get rid of any extra flour. In batches, carefully add the calamari into the hot oil and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until lightly golden and crispy.

Transfer the fried calamari to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with additional salt. Repeat until all the calamari has been fried.

Serve immediately with celery and carrot sticks, additional KC Masterpiece® Buffalo Marinade, Blue Cheese Dressing, and lemon wedges

Drinks · Pork · Sponsored

Fat Tire® Braised Carnitas Tacos with Fat Tire® Chavelas

April 29, 2011June 21, 2016 The Culinary Chronicles44 Comments

I don’t indulge in beers too much these days. Let’s face it—without my college metabolism, it just doesn’t sit that well with me (or my hips!) anymore. But I do make exceptions for an occasional New Castle® or Fat Tire® from time to time.

So you can imagine my delight when, as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I was challenged to create a dish that featured and paired with a New Belgium Brewing Company beer. Which includes Fat Tire®! 🙂

I immediately knew that I wanted to incorporate the “hoppy” amber ale into a slow braise pork—ultimately to create Carnitas. By adapting David Lebovitz’ recipe, I was able to achieve tender, flavorful pork that was beautifully crispy on the outside. O…M…G.

Wrapped in warm tortillas and topped with a few spoonfuls of pico de gallo, salsa negra and a squeeze of lime—the Carnitas were Delicioso!!!

I confess, I turned to the local mercado for the fresh tortillas and salsas. I had every intention of making them myself but when I went to the mercado for some ingredients, I encountered these fabulous women making it all from scratch for a fraction of the cost it would take me to make.

Yep. I opted for the shortcut this time. But for the record……this gal can fix up some yummy salsas. 🙂

To wash it all down, I whipped up an homage to Taqueria Tlaquepaque’s Chavelas. Tlaquepaque was one of my beloved taquerias in San Jose that served up AMAZINGLY fresh and delish food. But the food was only 1/2 of the reason why my dear gal friends and I would congregate there. The other half was for the Chavelas —Mexican beer mixed with fresh lime juice and salt. Very few things in life are more refreshing than a frosty goblet of Chavela. True Story.

Turns out that Fat Tire® in a Chavela is PDA. (Translation: Pretty. Darn. Amazing.)

Incorporating Fat Tire® in a dish? Not as difficult as one would think 🙂

And as luck would have it—just in time for Cinco de Mayo!!!

___________________________________________________________

Fat Tire® Braised Carnitas
Adapted from David Lebovitz

Ingredients:

5 Pounds Boneless Pork Shoulder, cut into 5-inch chunks, trimmed of excess fat
2-3 Tablespoon Sea Salt
2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
2 Bottles Fat Tire® Ale (24 ounces)
1 Cup White Onion, diced
1 Tablespoon Fresh Garlic, finely diced
1 Teaspoon Chile Powder
¼ Teaspoon Paprika
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Powder
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cumin
2 Bay Leaves

Using paper towels, dry off the pork and generously season with salt.

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the pieces of pork in a single layer until very well-browned, turning them as little as possible so they get nice and dark before flipping them around. If your cooking vessel is too small to cook them in a single-layer, cook them in two batches. Be sure to take your time to get a deep brown color as it enhances the flavor. This usually takes me about 30 minutes to properly brown all the meat.

Once all the pork is browned, remove them from the pot and blot away any excess fat with a paper towel. Discard all but one tablespoon of the grease that remains in the pot. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions to the pot and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional one to two minutes. Then pour in the beer, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits.

Heat the oven to 350F degrees.

Add the pork back to the pot and add the remaining of the seasonings and spices. Braise in the oven uncovered for 3-3½ hours, turning the pork a few times during cooking, until much of the liquid is evaporated and the pork is falling apart. Remove the pan from the oven and lift the pork pieces out of the liquid and set them on a platter.

Once the pork pieces are cool enough to handle, shred them into bite-sized pieces discarding any big chunks of fat. Return the pork pieces back to the roasting pan and cook in the oven, turning occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the pork is crispy and caramelized.

Serve with corn tortillas and your choice of salsas and toppings.

___________________________________________________________

Fat Tire® Chavelas
Serves One

Ingredients:

1 Bottle Fat Tire® Ale (12 ounces)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
Sea Salt
Lime Wedges

Chill glass in the freezer for 15 minutes. Rim the glass using a lime wedge and dip into sea salt. Pour the lime juice in the bottom of the glass and pour well chilled Fat Tire® Ale over it. Serve and garnish with lime wedges. Enjoy!

Appetizers/Small Plates · Sponsored · Vegetables/Vegetarian

Mediterranean Spinach Artichoke Dip…and it’s a tad healthier!

March 30, 2011June 21, 2016 The Culinary Chronicles16 Comments

I LOVE Chips. Potato chips, tortilla chips, corn chips, taro chips…….I can’t get enough of them. So you can imagine my utter glee when I received a big box of TOSTITOS® Artisan Recipes™ Tortilla Chips as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program.

And what goes hand in hand with chips? DIP, of course!

Spinach Artichoke Dip is definitely one of my favorites—though I rarely indulge in it. Most recipes are chock-full of mayo, sour cream and other dairy products. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE all those tasty things but they don’t necessarily love my hips! With bathing suit weather rapidly approaching, I wanted to create a version of this delish dip to compliment the TOSTITOS® that was a tad healthier and with a slight adaptation in flavor.

I decided to go with a “Mediterranean” spin by adding sun dried tomatoes to the mix. Sun dried tomatoes pairs so well with artichokes and spinach that the addition made perfect sense to me.

To create a more figure friendly dip, I substituted two of the key ingredients with healthier alternatives. In lieu of the sour cream, I used nonfat Greek yogurt. Not only does the latter have a slew of health benefits but the texture provides a lovely creamy, thick texture that we like in our dips. I used an American Neufchatel Cheese in the place of cream cheese since Neufchatel is lower in fat and higher in protein. As for the mayo, I completely nixed it. The other ingredients provided enough creamy texture and flavor that it wasn’t needed.

This “healthy” dip worked really well with the grained tortilla chip. It was full of various textures and I had a clear conscience knowing that I cut out extra fat/calories without sacrificing the flavor.

If only I could make chocolate cake “healthier”………….. 🙂

_________________________________________________

Mediterranean Spinach Artichoke Dip
Serves 8

Ingredients:

10 Ounces Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and drained
8 Ounces Artichoke Hearts, finely chopped
5 Ounces Neufchatel Cheese, softened
½ Cup Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt, at room temperature
½ Cup Low Fat (or reduced fat) Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
¼ Cup Chopped Sun Dried Tomatoes (preserved in olive oil)
¼ Cup Shallots, finely chopped
2 Whole Garlic Cloves, finely minced
¼ Teaspoon Dried Thyme
¼ Teaspoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Oil from the Sun Dried Tomatoes
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the oil from the sun dried tomatoes. Add shallots and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and dried thyme. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding the spinach. Cook for an additional few minutes and then transfer all items into a large bowl.

Add Neufchatel, Greek Yogurt, Monterey Jack Cheese and paprika to the spinach mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Combine well. Lightly cover ramekins or other baking dishes with cooking spray. Spoon spinach mixture into the dishes and sprinkle the tops with Parmesan Cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes and then turn the broiler on. Broil the tops until they are golden brown. Serve with chips, bread slices, crackers, or vegetable sticks.

Sponsored

Hickory Farms Goodies from Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program

December 12, 2010June 21, 2016 The Culinary ChroniclesLeave a comment

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I got hooked up with a fabulous package from Hickory Farms. Yippee! I gleefully opened the “Beef Hickory Sampler Gift Box” that was packed with Cracked Wheat Crackers, Smoked Cheddar Blend, Italian Herb & Cheese Spread, Sweet Hot Mustard Jar, and Beef Summer Sausage.

Hickory Farms has a special place in my heart–particular around the holidays. The sibs and I used to chip in (okay, so maybe they bought it but my name was included) to buy gift boxes of their goodies for family members. And who could resist? Cheeses, smoked meats, crackers, spreads, and even sweets.

Still have some holiday shopping left to do? Skip the malls and jump online to send a few of their Gift Baskets. Because as far as this gal is concerned, tasty treats are quite possibly one of the best gifts.

Now excuse me as I dive right in to a tower of their smoke cheese and summer sausage 🙂

Sponsored

Hitting the Streets for the “SF Street Food Festival”

August 23, 2010June 21, 2016 The Culinary Chronicles4 Comments

This past Saturday, I joined thousands of Food Goers and Foodies at the 2^nd Annual San Francisco Street Food Festival hosted by La Cocina.

I was lucky enough to score a snazzy media pass from Foodbuzz (THANK YOU!) that allowed me early access to the event along with an insightful tour of the grounds. Our expedition allowed us the great opportunity to meet and greet with several of the vendors, sample delish foods and beverages, (YUM!) and learn in depth information about the amazing Incubator Program coordinated by La Cocina.

From La Cocina:

“By providing affordable, shared, commercial kitchen space, an array of industry-specific technical assistance and services, and access to market opportunities, La Cocina works with entrepreneurs as they launch, grow, and formalize successful food businesses. We focus primarily on women from culturally diverse communities and immigrant communities. Our vision is that our program participants will become economically self-sufficient and contribute to a vibrant and diverse economy doing what they love to do.”

Their three-step model (pre-incubation, incubation, and graduation) truly provides support and encouragement for many low-income entrepreneurs—giving them a real foundation for success as they start up their businesses. After speaking to many of the vendors from the program, it greatly reaffirmed the vital work that La Cocina carries out.

And now…..THE FOOD.

Five city blocks cradled over 40 vendors of delicious goodness. I was absolutely drunk from the mouth-watering aromas. Simply Intoxicating. Noodles, tacos, sandwiches, bacon wrapped hot dogs, cupcakes, ice cream, corn, and on…and on…and on!

“Festival Seating” pulled together with these really cute painted wood planks and milk crates

This is Azalina Eusope–a 5th generation street food vendor and head of “Azalina’s Malaysian”. Incidentally, she started off as a Pastry Chef 🙂

“Air Bandung” (Coconut-Rose Milk)–Azalina said it’s perfect to accompany many of the fried foods from Malaysia

Chef David Bazirgan of “Chez Papa”

Melon Agua Fresca from “Chez Papa”

Stuff Figs and Sausage Sandwich from “Chez Papa)

Torta de Mole Verde and Tostada de Tinga from “El Buen Comer”–t

Veronica Salazar of “El Huarache Loco” whose family also has a restaurant in La Raza, Mexico City.

Tacos de Alhambre from “El Huarache Loco”

Vegetarian Banh Bao from “The Slanted Door”

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee from “The Creme Brulee Cart”

Chef Thomas Odermatt of “Roli Roti“. Chef Odermatt grew up in his family’s butcher shop and was particularly cheerful and friendly to those stopping by his booth. Their booth was clearly the most visited that day. 🙂

Porchetta from “Roli Roti“

Porchetta from “Roli Roti“…..Aaaah-Maaay-Ziiing.

Neal Gottlieb of “Three Twinis Ice Cream”. He insisted we taste the ice cream with the antique silver spoons to increase the experience. And he was right!

Dee-lish Frozen Treats from “Three Twinis Ice Cream”

Soba Noodles from “Hapa Ramen”

Mini-cuppies from “La Luna Cupcakes”

Sisig Tacos from “Hapa SF”

SO good, I had to throw in a close up 🙂

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs…OH MY!

Chicken Adobo from “The Adobo Hobo”. We also had their Calamansi-Thai Basil Cooler….VERY refreshing.

Meat goodness…

And MORE meat goodness!

Piroshkies from “Anda Piroshki“

There was SO many different foods to choose from. Even with the media tour/food sampling and an additional 1.5 hours at the festival with the family–we barely made a dent. What were my favorites of the day? Easily the Porchetta Sandwich from Roli Roti –though the Sisig Taco from Hapa SF is quite high up on the list, too. The Porchetta Sandwich was just utter perfection. Unctuously, savory pork with delectably crispy skin in a roll. The pork loin is cooked slowly on the rotisserie which allows the fat and juices to drip down to a bed of fingerling potatoes that are just waiting to soak it all up. Excuse me, my mouth is watering uncontrollably. Chef Odermatt–you are brilliant!!!

An awesome day in SF filled with passionate chefs, an organization with a wonderful mission, endless amazing foods, and quality time with loved ones. I only wish I had a spare tummy to try all of the goodies. But then, maybe I’ll just leave the massive eating to this guy………

Joey Chestnut–World Champion in Competitive Eating. Yup, he was there, too. 🙂

So until next time friends–hit the streets for some good eats! 🙂

Pastas/Noodles · Sponsored

Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program: Buitoni Frozen Meals for Two

July 16, 2010June 21, 2016 The Culinary Chronicles2 Comments

I love food and I love deals. So when I received a voucher to try out Buitoni’s Frozen Meals for Two as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I was VERY excited!

For years, Buitoni has had a line of premade pastas and meals that can be found in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store. However, this new line that is found in the freezer section, could be considered a “high end” or premium frozen dinner. Oooh-la-la.

Once I received my voucher I went to several stores before I could locate them. And where did I finally find it? Target, of all places! (But since then, I’ve seen it at several other grocery stores).

We decided to try the Shrimp & Lobster Ravioli with Garlic Butter Sauce since the box boasted that the lobster was from Maine—and well, the photo looked delicious!

Preparation was extremely easy and our meal was done within 20 minutes. After filling a large pot of water, you drop in the entire plastic pouch of sauce to heat it through. When the water reaches a nice low boil, the frozen ravioli go in. Before tossing the sauce and ravioli together, I took a quick taste to check for seasonings. I found the butter sauce was a little too rich by itself and added a pinch of dried thyme and crushed red pepper to balance the flavors.

Overall, the entrée was pretty tasty! The pasta dough had a good bite to it and I was happy to see that the raviolis were filled quite nicely with fairly large chunks of shrimp and lobster. We paired the raviolis with an easy mixed green salad that offered a brightness to the rich butter sauce. Although a little bit on the pricier side for a frozen meal (at $9.99 for one box that serves 2), I found it to be enjoyable and wouldn’t mind having it again.

Thanks FoodBuzz and Buitoni!

Yeah…it looks like we didn’t like it at all 🙂

Sponsored

Highlights from the 3rd Annual Pebble Beach Food and Wine

April 21, 2010June 21, 2016 The Culinary Chronicles13 Comments

Not even the unusual torrential rains could damper my excitement as we took the drive down the coastline to attend the 3^rd Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine. Upon pulling up to the Equestrian Center I was overwhelmed by the sight of the huge white tents that covered 60,000 square feet—the location of the Lexus Grand Tasting Event.

After braving some serious winds at Will Call, we were ushered into the tents—though it could have been another world as far as I was concerned. Warm ambient lighting bathed the white tents as the wonderful aromas mixed with the guests chattering filled the air. Not 5 seconds later were we warmly greeted with wine glasses and bags to carry all of our goodies. As we walked passed the “foyer” area of the tent, I stopped mid-step to take in all that was around me. Food and wine stations packed side by side, groups mingling throughout the area, giant posters of celebrity chefs behind their tables…..I was overwhelmed. And yes, slightly intimidated by all that was before us.

Swanky Folks mingling around

Gorgeous cascading Phalaenopsis Orchids filled the tents

So what’s a gal to do? Simple, actually. After a brief stop in what is sure to be the fanciest trailer-bathroom I will ever use, we headed straight for our first wine tasting. With over 200 wineries present, it was difficult to decide where to begin and thus headed to what was familiar—J.Lohr Vineyards. With a lovely Cabernet Sauvignon in hand we began our 3 hour tour around the tents.

Before I go on, I must admit that after the first 30 minutes of feverishly taking notes after each tasting while handling my camera, I found it difficult to juggle everything. Therefore, my accounts of the day does not encompass EVERYTHING we sampled but it should give you a good idea of what we absolutely indulged in.

Let’s start off with the extremely impressive array of wineries we sampled from.

J.Lohr Vineyards

2004 Cabernet Sauvignon: Light, palatable though not as dry as I would prefer.

Talbott Vineyards-Relatively New Winemaker

Kali Hart Pinot Noir: Sweet and fruity. Very reminiscent of a Muscat dessert wine.
Logan Pinot Noir: Berry, berry, berry.

Kutch Wines– The friendly woman who was attending to the tastings was the wife of the wine maker.

2 types of Pinot Noir (all barrel tastings): Very light though somewhat immature—natural for a barrel tasting.

DeLoach Vineyards

Cabernet Sauvignon: Mild but what I enjoyed about it was that it wasn’t too fruity.

Wente Vineyards

Annika: Syrah named after Annika Sorenstam, one of the most celebrated female golfers in history. This Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon blend was smooth and slightly spicy—perhaps suitably after its namesake.

JAQK Cellars–New wine company from Napa Valley. One of the co-owners is also a graphic designer who is responsible for the fun, artsy look of the bottles

22 Black: A 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. Easy vino that would be perfect for your every day wine. And no, that’s NOT a bad thing at all.
High Roller: Another 2007 Cabernet Sauvingon. Fine, smooth, and aged in the French Bordeaux style. Let’s just say I wouldn’t kick it out of bed.

Domaine Chandon Winery—An oldie but goodie.

Etoile: A delicious cuvee with tiny bubbles that hinted of honey and similar florals. I could have easily sipped on this all day. Though Bubbly is after all, one of my favorite things in life.

Betz Family Winery

2007 Pere de Famille Cabernet Sauvignon: I am not too familiar with Washington wines but this is something I would definitely pick up again.

Of the vinos sampled that day, I would say the ones that stood out the most were Wente’s “Annika”, JAQK Cellar’s “High Roller”, and Domaine Chandon’s “Etoile”. And although Patron Spirits and Belvedere Vodka were also on hand pouring cocktails, I opted not to mix my adult beverages. College lessons well learned

Talbott

I enjoyed a few “Etoiles” in the Champagne Lounge”

Whimsical Art on JAQK Cellars Wines

On to the Food Samplings….What a Spread!! As astute as I was trying to be with taking notes of everything we sampled, I just couldn’t document it all. Sorry Folks! But below is an overview of some of the samplings with photos of the dishes (sometimes with a bite taken from it) and the Chefs that created them.

Marin French Cheese Company: Triple Cream Brie, Yellow Buck Chevre Goat’s Milk Camembert, and Rouge et Noir Schloss Cheese. Marin French Cheese Company is the oldest operating cheese producer in the United States that specializes in soft ripened cheeses. Although the Yellow Buck Chevre Goat’s Milk Camembert won the America’s National Trophy for Best American Cheese, we LOVED the Triple Cream Brie. It was, needless to say, creamy and so sinfully rich. YUM.

I Heart Cheese!

Chef Liza Shaw – A16: Wild Mushroom, Green Garlic and Ricotta Crostini. The wild mushroom medley was delicious…earthy, aromatic and brightened by the flavors from the green garlic. The crostini itself was a bit to crispy which made it a little difficult to bite into. However, I appreciated the creaminess from the ricotta.

Wild Mushroom Crostini

Chef Liza Shaw

Chef Mark Ayers – Pacific’s Edge: Smoked Braised Pork Belly, Garnet Yams and Port-Blackberry Reduction with Fresh Origins Micro Celery. Mmmm….pork belly. Does it get any better than that? Mark Ayers and his team produced a rich and succulent pork belly that was slightly smoky and paired with the tartness of the reduction sauce.

Chef Mark Ayers

Chef Charles Phan – The Slanted Door: Northern Vietnamese Style Halibut, Vermicelli with Fresh Dill, Scallion , Peanut and Pineapple-Anchovy Sauce. Being of Vietnamese descent, I have grown up with dishes somewhat similar to this—Bun Ca Nuong. Chef Phan’s interpretation of this classic dish offers a slightly lighter take with the same reminiscent flavors from the anchovy sauce. Mmmm….good.

Chef Anastasia Simpson – Pebble Beach: Peanut Butter Crunch, milk chocolate bavarian, salted caramel cream. Like a Ferrero Rocher in a cup. YUM.

Chef Michael Chiarello – Bottega Napa Valley: Smokey Paprika Rubbed Grilled Octopus Spiedini with Olive Oil Braised Marble Potato, Pickled Onion and Salsa Verde. Octopus, Little Potato and Pickled onion all skewered on a toothpick—ready for me to pop it in my mouth. The octopus was incredibly tender with the light smokey seasoning of the paprika.

Chef Erik Villar -Calistoga Ranch: Grilled Lobster “Pizza” with mascarpone, baby tomatoes, basil, green house greens. They had me at lobster. Tossed with baby tomatoes, greens, and adorned atop a pizza “crust”—that more resembled a thin foccaccia bread. The bread was a tad chewy for me but I was ALL about the toppings. Again, they had me at lobster.

Grilled Lobster Pizza

Chef Mike Nemec – Pebble Beach: Pebble Beach Tide Pool in-a-cup abalone, crab, urchin roe, shellfish consommè.Tiny shots of shellfish consomme that gave you the light flavors of the sea. Whimsical, light, refreshing.

Chef Tom Douglas – Dahlia Lounge: Pork Ribs.Tender, salty (in a good way), juicy, good. I could have eaten a plateful of these pork ribs but unfortunately it was towards the end of the event and my tummy was way too full of happiness.

Chef Tom Douglas

US Foodservice: Pan Seared Lamb Chops with Micro Greens. Extremely well prepared and perfect with all of the red vino we were enjoying.

Pan Seared Lamb Chops

Searing the Lamb Chops

Chef Mark Sullivan – Spruce Marin : Sun Farms Goat Confit. Goat Confit—now that’s something I haven’t tried before. I was a bit hesitant at first, suspecting that it would be gamey. However, it was quite the contrary. Fairly mild in flavor, though—I’m not sure if the tumeric dates masked its true taste. I’ll need to try it again some day.

Goat Confit

Andy Boy: Chilled Cauliflower Soup. Nutty, “green”, enjoyable…..nothing I could have a huge bowl of but perfect in the tiny shot glass form.

Chilled Cauliflower Soup

Chef Dory Ford -Aqua Terra – Monterey County Ag: Crostini with Rapini, Fennel, Spicy Italian Sausage Ragout and Yucatan Chicken with Nopales Salbutes and habanero Sauce. As one of the first stations we stopped at, our palettes were eager for the tasting. The Crostini with the Italian Sausage Ragout was packed punch with flavors. A little messy to eat as all the goodness was spilling on to my plate—but this gal doesn’t mind diving right in. I really enjoyed the Salbutes –puffy and crispy and loaded with Yucatan Chicken and spicy goodness.

Plating of the Crostini

Chef Jamie Lauren – Absinthe Brasserie & Bar: Marinated Anchovy Bruschetta, beet puree, burrata, lemon agrumato, maldon sea salt, basil. Now THIS was the surprise of the day. The appearance of the marinated anchovy glistening with its silver skin on top of the bruschetta caught me off guard. I know, for a gal who loves fish sauce, fish paste, shrimp paste, anchovy paste, etc.—this shouldn’t be so crazy. However I imagined it to be very fishy and it was totally not! It merely lent a salty flavor to the bruschetta, mixed with the sweet/tart beet puree. Lesson learned—don’t judge a book by its cover.

Marinated Anchovy Bruschetta with a big bite taken from it….

Chef Jamie Lauren

Richard Reddington – REDD: Glazed Pork Belly, soy caramel, apples and burdock. Tied for my favorite sampling of the day. PERFECT balance of salty and sweet on the Pork Belly that just melted in my mouth. I could eat huge plates of that….I would turn into a piggy but I would be a happy piggy. As for the burdock and apple—wow! What a nice surprise and great texture that it added! You’re smart one Chef Reddington!

Pork Belly with Burdock

So NICE, I had to show you TWICE

Joseph Humphrey – Murray Circle Restaurant: Crisp Petrale Sole, hijiki seaweed risotto.

Not kidding….one of the best risottos I’ve ever had. Creamy, rich, with the slight taste of the sea from the hijiki seawood. The sole was light yet remained flakey amongst the risotto…YUM! I almost went back for seconds but then I got shy J

With that entire list, it’s hard to believe that wasn’t ALL we had sampled. Yes friends, I was quite full but I thought it was my duty to try as much as possible to recount it all to you 🙂

Here are a few other fun snapshots from the day:

Chef Sean O’Toole of Napa Valley’s “Bardessono”

Chef Hubert Keller’s Book “Burger Bar”

Now please indulge me as I relive some fabulous Celebrity Sitings!

With Annika Sörenstam, Ladies Professional Golfer SUPER STAR….

Chef Jamie Lauren

Chef Jamie Lauren and I

Chef Michael Chiarello and I

Getting my Apron Signed

Chef Tyler Florence

Chef Tyler Florence and I

THANKS Tyler-I SURE will!!!!

And last but not least…

Chef Hubert Keller

I don’t think I could have possibly smiled ANY bigger…Hey, you would too if you were chatting with Hubert!!!!

Now THAT is a signature!!

Some love from Hubert for my “Burger Bar” Book….which by the way is fab.

And with that dear friends, is where this story closes. It truly was such a memorable day filled with great food and wine, people passionate about the culinary arts, …..Simply Unforgettable and truly a FOODIE PARADISE.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Foodbuzz for allowing me to attend this SWANKY-FOODIE-HEAVEN Event!! It was such an amazing opportunity—You all ROCK!

The Culinary Chronicles HEARTS Foodbuzz!!

And DOUBLE THANKS for the DELUXE Giveaways!!!! The Foodbuzz Apron was the perfect medium to grab my fav chefs autographs!

Sponsored

3rd Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine

April 9, 2010June 21, 2016 The Culinary Chronicles3 Comments

The Culinary Chronicles (and her better half) is headed down to the 3rd Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine festival! Thanks to FoodBuzz, we’ll be attending Sunday’s Lexus Grand Tasting which is the final event of the weekend.

What’s in store for us at Pebble Beach?

Tastings for some of the world’s culinary gurus;
300 wines from 200 of the world’s most prestigious wineries;
Book signings and photo opportunities with celebrity chefs;
Mingling with Foodies and fellow food bloggers;
and without a doubt, Endless moments of being babbling starstruck from being in the mere presence of all these fabulous chefs and food demi-gods.

Insert squeals of utter glee here. 🙂

AND THIS JUST IN! They’ve released a sneak peak of the tasting menu! Check it out!

Liza Shaw – A16: Wild Mushroom, Green Garlic and Ricotta Crostini
Tommy Habetz/Nick Wood – Bunk Sandwiches – Tillamook: Grilled Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar and Apple Chutney with Slow Roasted Pork Belly
Mark Ayers – Pacific’s Edge: Smoked Braised Pork Belly, Garnet Yams and Port-Blackberry Reduction with Fresh Origins Micro Celery
Charles Phan – The Slanted Door: Northern Vietnamese Style Halibut, Vermicelli with Fresh Dill, Scallion ,Peanut and Pineapple-Anchovy Sauce
Ken Frank – La Toque: Soy Braised Pork Belly, gingered brussels sprout slaw
Christophe Grosjean – Aubergine: Heirloom Beet, Argan Oil, Horseradish, Marcona Almond
Sean O’Toole – Bardessono: Pending
Joseph Humphrey – Murray Circle Restaurant: Crisp Petrale Sole, hijiki seaweed risotto
Anastasia Simpson – Pebble Beach: Peanut Butter Crunch, milk chocolate bavarian, salted caramel cream
Cal Stamenov – Marinus at Bernardus Lodge: Spicy Crab & Nantucket Bay Scallop rangpur lime, heart of palm, fresh olive oil
Richard Reddington – REDD: Scallop Ceviche Tacos/Glazed Pork Belly, soy caramel, apples and burdock
Michael Chiarello – Bottega Napa Valley: Smokey Paprika Rubbed Grilled Octopus Spiedini with Olive Oil Braised Marble Potato, Pickled Onion and Salsa Verde
Erik Villar -Calistoga Ranch: Chilled English Pea Soup, fresh ricotta, mint, lemon oil Grilled Lobster “Pizza” with mascarpone, baby tomatoes, basil, green house greens
Miguel Garcia – Occidental Group – Aruba: Keshi Yena
Mike Nemec – Pebble Beach: Artichokes “A’ la Grecque”, cured meyer lemon, aged jack cheese Pebble Beach Tide Pool in-a-cup abalone, crab, urchin roe, shellfish consommè, sea water & seaweed
Tony Baker – Montrio Bistro: Smoked Tea Cured Wild Salmon, duck Liver parfait, apple gastrique and smoky raisins
Tom Douglas – Dahlia Lounge: – WWC Red Mountain Riesling Cured Wild Sockeye Salmon, fennel, coriander, blini, riesling poached pear
Mark Sullivan – Spruce Marin: Sun Farms Goat Confit, turmeric dates & carrots
Mark Estee – Moody’s Bistro & Lounge: Tombo, extra virgin olive oil, panisse, spring relish Sherry Yard – Spago: Pending
Jamie Lauren – Absinthe Brasserie & Bar: Marinated Anchovy Bruschetta, beet puree, burrata, lemon agrumato, maldon sea salt, basil
Walter Manzke – Church & State: Tarte Flambe
Dory Ford -Aqua Terra – Monterey County Ag: Mixed Berry Cordonniere w/ Green peppercorn Ice Cream/Rapini, Fennel, Spicy Italian Sausage Ragout, pinenuts, asiago cheese, pasta crostini/Yucatan Chicken and Nopales Salbutes with habanero Sauce

So let’s see….

Eager Tummy? Check.
Camera with extra lenses and battery? Check.
Pens, small notebooks, etc.? Check.

With that my Friends—stay tuned as I will DEFINITELY be posting a recount of what is sure to be a “culinary event of a lifetime”.

Wish me luck!